Relaunching your career can be overwhelming at times, especially if you do not know where to begin or you are stuck at one of the steps along the way. These trying times don’t help, as it isn’t always possible to get out from behind the computer, attend meetings, and see people casually during your day. But it IS still possible to relaunch.
When you are overwhelmed, or do not know what to do next, take a few minutes to return to the building blocks that are fundamental to who you are and your relaunch: your values, interests, experience, and strengths.
You have natural strengths that position you well for your next role and will take you through your job search. But, when you are feeling particularly vulnerable, you may find yourself focusing on your weaknesses, and forgetting about all that you bring to the table. After all, we are trained to think about what needs to be fixed in our lives and not on what is going well.
I challenge you to look to flip this around. Instead of worrying about your weaknesses, ask yourself: “What do I do best?”
To answer this, take 20 minutes to brainstorm your strengths – write down everything you know you do well, regardless of whether it relates to your relaunch (to help, try the on-line assessment, CliftonStrengths Assessment). Once you know your strengths, own them. Set an intention to use them every day in your daily activities. And, then turn your mind to employing your strengths in each stage of your relaunch:
(a) Determine your Career Path
Consider your strengths and how they can be combined with your skills, experience and professional values for your next role.
If you are a great learner and were a teacher, how about corporate training, non-profit advocacy, research, analysis and reporting?
If you are highly strategic and were a banker, how about product management, corporate strategy, or policy development?
Analyze your past roles and current activities to determine what strengths contributed to your success and then research roles that employ those strengths. And, use the specific language of your strengths as you speak with others to make it easy for them to help you with ideas and connections.
(b) Build Confidence
The best way to build your confidence is to take small risks daily, using your strengths. Eventually, you will feel secure in your efforts as they are based on what you do well.
Are you a good writer? Write out paragraphs about your skills or past work experiences – when the time is right, this can be turned into a LinkedIn profile or a CV.
Are you a good connector? Start telling people you are relaunching – begin with your immediate circle, ask for introductions, and ask for short video calls with others to ensure a strong connection when you cannot be in person. Join virtual conferences when there are opportunities to meet the speakers or participants. And, don’t forget to use this strength to connect your own contacts with others – networking is a give and take, and a perfect way to demonstrate this strength.
Are you an athlete? Start your networking with your exercise group – if you excel at something, use the confidence you have from that activity to speak about your relaunch.
(c) Prepare for Interviews
Do what you do best in every stage of the interview process. Tie your strengths to the specific requirements of the role, come up with examples from your past, and speak to how you will use your strengths at the organization in question.
For interview preparation, if you are a great speaker, practice your pitch and overcome any weaknesses through articulate messaging. If you are competitive, map out the process as a game and see each meeting as an opportunity to get better and challenge yourself.
For those of you who are analytic, demonstrate your long history of organizing, sorting data, and researching. And, for those who are compassionate, you can focus on inclusiveness, team participation, and relationship building.
When you focus on your strengths, you can achieve your relaunch goals, change your status quo, and push past your fears. The more you rely on your strengths, the easier it is to be confident, to sell yourself, and to speak about what you want. That’s a great formula for a relaunch!
